GM Will Pull The Plug On Chevy Malibu To Make Room For 2nd-Generation Bolt

Join daily news updates from CleanTechnica on e-mail. Or follow us on Google News!

The Chevy Malibu is the Rodney Dangerfield of vehicles — it will get no respect. (Apologies to any readers who drive a Malibu.) For many years, the Malibu has been the automotive equal of Surprise Bread — a primary transportation system that was fairly good, pretty dependable, with the emotional enchantment of vanilla ice cream. It strikes ahead when requested, stops when vital, has windshield wipers that work, and comes customary with an AM/FM radio. What’s to not like? My mother had a Chevy Malibu within the ’70s — I believe. There was completely nothing memorable about that automotive. Individuals would take a look at it and yawn.

Because the automotive was launched within the Sixties, GM has bought greater than 10 million Malibus, however gross sales have slumped lately. Common Motors stated on Might 9, 2024, that it will cease making the Chevrolet Malibu, the final inexpensive sedan in its US mannequin lineup. Up to now a number of years, Individuals have turned a chilly shoulder towards sedans, preferring SUVs and pickup vehicles as a substitute.

In equity, the Massive Three automakers have spent a whole lot of tens of millions of {dollars} on promoting to persuade shoppers they actually need larger vehicles that may carry a household of 5, two canine, a pair of kayaks, and tenting gear for every week. It’s no coincidence that these SUVs and vehicles occur to be essentially the most worthwhile vehicles made. So, are prospects demanding them or are producers creating the demand to spice up their earnings? You resolve.

Honda, Hyundai, and Toyota all promote a whole lot of 1000’s of sedans a yr. Though, gross sales of these vehicles are trending down. Final month, Subaru, a Japanese automaker, stated it will cease making its Legacy sedan subsequent yr. Stellantis and Ford have trimmed just about all sedans from their mannequin lineups besides high-performance sporty vehicles.

The Malibu is manufactured at GM’s Kansas Metropolis manufacturing unit, however manufacturing is now scheduled to cease on the finish of this yr, when it plans to retool the manufacturing unit to make the second-generation Chevy Bolt. That manufacturing unit additionally assembles the Cadillac XT4 SUV.

The Malibu was launched in 1964, however GM pulled the plug on the mannequin in 1983 as the corporate was compelled to downsize by rising international competitors. It reintroduced the Malibu in 1997, however the mannequin has nearly all the time trailed the Camry and Accord in gross sales. In 2023, GM bought 130,000 Malibus, and deliveries fell 47 % within the closing three months of the yr. A decade earlier, GM usually bought about 200,000 Malibus a yr.

The Malibu may return sometime, maybe as an electrical automobile. Automakers typically resurrect and repurpose outdated mannequin names, particularly people who patrons keep in mind fondly. Ford has shamelessly leveraged the Mustang title for its Mach-E electrical SUV, despite the fact that that automotive has about the identical relationship to the unique as velvet artwork does to a Rembrandt. That’s to not say the Mach-E isn’t an ideal automotive — it’s. It’s simply not a Mustang.

The Second-Era Chevy Bolt Is Coming

Few folks will lament the passing of the Chevrolet Malibu. Although, loads of folks have been distressed when GM stopped promoting the Chevy Bolt earlier than its substitute was prepared. My spouse and I’ve a Bolt and a Mannequin Y, and whereas the Tesla is a really polished automobile, the Bolt has a sure appeal that could be very interesting. Simply at present, it gave us a visible and audible alert when two pedestrians walked behind our Bolt once we have been on the brink of again out of a driveway. The Tesla wouldn’t do this.

What nobody is aware of but is what the second-generation Bolt shall be or how a lot it can price. The unique was one of the inexpensive electrical vehicles out there in America. If the successor is equally priced, it may very well be the inexpensive electrical automotive America wants and Tesla refuses to construct. We’re cautiously optimistic Chevrolet will make the brand new Bolt as cheap and interesting as the unique. It created quite a lot of model fairness with the primary version. Let’s hope it builds on that basis with the successor.